Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: rookie1 on July 12, 2018, 17:36
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Afternoon all - I sowed my 2nd early seed potatoes in a raised bed which is approx. 6' x 4', planting them closer than in open ground. Due to the close planting I couldn't earth them up, but while the plants were growing up strongly the density of the haulms was enough to keep the light out; however, now that everything is matured the stalks and leaves are flopping over and I can see some potatoes near the surface of the soil which are now green. Having just returned from holiday I haven't started harvesting yet. Should I try and cover the plants with something to keep further light damage down - and if so what and how? If that's not the solution, any ideas? There's a limit to how many potatoes even I can eat in one sitting ...
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once they have gone green you cant reverse it. I have tried!
the potatoes have to be covered even if the haulms are lush.
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Chances are that there will be more tubers below the surface that haven't turned green :)
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I usually spread a mulch of compost on my spuds in raised beds instead of earthing up
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I also grow mine in raised beds and have a similar problem but any green ones seem to be small so they get thrown away.
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I plant potatoes in raised beds and sometimes find it difficult to earth them up. One year I tried straw and grass clippings as cover. You could try that. I did have more slug damage though, they loved the cover.
I would always try and cover them though.
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Thanks all for your advice. I'll try harder next year to cover the growing haulms - maybe covering with some spent compost is the answer, as getting in between the rows is so difficult.